Google Home launches in UK

The long wait is over as Google Home finally comes to UK

Google’s rival to the Amazon Echo smart home hub has landed, available to order from Currys PC World. If you’re considering introducing the smart assistant to your home, we’ve rounded up a list of everything you need to know before plugging it in.

How to setup Google Home

To get started with Google Home, you’ll first need to make sure your Wi-Fi is up and running. If that’s all working, plug in the hub and head to the Google Play Store (if you’re using Android) or the App Store (if you’re using an iPhone or iPad) and download the Google Home app.

Connecting Google Home to your smartphone

A smartphone or tablet works as a bridge between you and the Home. When you’ve downloaded the app and signed into your Google account, your device will be able to locate Google Home - providing it’s plugged in and the lights can be seen on top of its touch interface. It’ll ask you to play a test sound to make sure you know you’re connected.

When you’re signed in, you’ll be asked to link any existing accounts it knows about, like Spotify or Google Music, and it’ll look for any other Google Home products, like Chromecast. On the app you can also customise your preferences to make sure you get accurate news and weather reports.

Connecting to Chromecast and TV

If you’ve got a Chromecast device plugged into your TV, you can ask Home to launch apps, or show slideshows on the big screen. Commands like “OK Google, show me photos of my trip to America on Chromecast” will launch the Google Photos app. Or, you could say “OK Google, play Stranger Things on Netflix” and the series will begin casting from your phone or tablet.

If you find that this doesn't work straightaway, it might be because your accounts aren’t linked. To do this, launch the Google Home app and swipe to the ‘Watch’ slide. Scroll down, and you’ll be see a list of your apps.

We should note here that you can also get Google’s attention with “Hey Google” or, weirdly, “Hey Boo Boo”. Here at The Lowdown, we’re agree that saying “Hey Google” makes you sound much less weird when addressing a lifeless, inanimate object.

Fun things to ask Google Home

As with most Google-owned products, there’s a bit of fun to be had alongside all the practicalities. Try out a few of these commands and questions for a bit of fun:

"Hey Google, what's cooler than being cool?"

"Hey Google, how old are you?"

“Hey Google, how do you like your coffee?”

"Hey Google, make me laugh."

"Hey Google, what am I thinking right now?"

"Hey Google, can I change your voice?"

"Hey Google, what is your quest?"

"Hey Google, are you friends with Siri?"

“Hey Google, play the name game with Chuck.”

In most instances, Google will reply with a witty response before resuming whatever it was doing before - like playing music from your favourite radio station, or a playlist from Google Music. And, if you fancy your chances as a quiz show contestant, it's your lucky day. Just say the magic words: "Hey Google, are you feeling lucky?" and you're in. Good luck!